“By relocating to Austin,” Joe said, “we’ll be able to deliver personalized, hands-on design and construction phase services to our clients in what has become a fast-growing community in central Texas.”

Garver’s Facilities Design Team is currently working on multiple projects at various military installations in central Texas—Fort Hood, Lackland Air Force Base, Fort Bliss—and has completed projects at Fort Sam Houston, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Goliad Outlying Field, and the Army Reserve Center in McAllen.

Among other improvements, Garver designed a new 9,900 SF aircraft rescue and firefighting facility at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi

“We appreciate our good relationship with the federal government,” said Facilities Design Director John Watkins. “With an added presence in central Texas, we’ll be able to further those relationships, but also develop relationships with clients outside that sector.”

The Facilities Design Team is also expanding in the North Little Rock office with the hiring of Lee Suggs, PE, as senior mechanical engineer. Lee brings more than 18 years of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning experience to Garver. Lee is an LEED AP BD+C and is knowledgeable in sustainable design strategies, energy modeling, healthcare mechanical design, and Revit.

Discover the additional capabilities of the Facilities Design Team by visiting the Garver website.

The Garver-designed project not only reconstructed the taxiway but also reconfigured the taxiway system to better serve the departure queuing for Runway 20C and provide numerous ancillary benefits to the project area. The project’s primary goals were to correct the Taxiway Kilo profile by minimizing the crest and sag vertical curves and to correct the geometry of a complex five-spoke intersection. The project was located between three of the airport’s four runways and included work areas within the runway safety area (RSA), which required complex project phasing to ensure continued airfield operations.

Sustainable design considerations led Garver to design further improvements with on-site excavated materials, including a runway safety area correction and filling depressions in the airfield.

Garver provided construction phasing, pavement design (which included a life-cycle cost analysis between asphalt and concrete pavement sections), all geometric design, drainage improvements, electrical and NAVAID design, bidding, and construction support services for the project, which was completed under budget while maintaining a safe environment for construction crews, airport operation personnel and the airlines.

Monday, May 19, 2014

The joy of living in a democracy is that every citizen has the opportunity to participate in government. One of the ways each of us participates is through going to our polling station on election day and casting a ballot for the ideas or candidates we think government should embrace. Tomorrow is election day, and Garver encourages you to take part in shaping the democracy that governs our lives. You have a voice, and tomorrow is your chance to use it—take today to educate yourself regarding the current voting issues. For non-partisan information about candidates in your area, visit VoteSmart.org. Go vote.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Garver’s Texas Water Team took an active role in organizing the 26th Annual Texas Water Conference, which is the largest regional water conference in the country, registering over 4,100 attendees this year. Garver Vice President and Water Team Leader Jeff Sober served as Water Environment Association of Texas (WEAT) co-chair for the Conference Committee, and several other North Texas Water Team members played an integral role in ensuring a smooth conference by serving on the Host Committee.

Participants in the 2014 Ops Challenge

As part of the conference, teams competed in the Operations Challenge competition designed to test the diverse skills required for the operation and maintenance of treatment facilities, their collection systems and laboratories. Participating teams from this year’s challenge came from Dallas Water Utilities, Trinity River Authority, DC Water, Lafayette Utilities System, and Jacksonville Wastewater Utility. The winning Texas teams will represent WEAT at the national competition scheduled for this September at the Water Environment Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) in New Orleans.

Garver's Heather Compton prepares for the Sawcut event.

Congratulations to all participants in the Ops Challenge and to the Garver Water Team for assisting with a great conference.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Garver, in association with Burns & McDonnell, recently hosted a reception at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas to kick off the National Guard Bureau’s (NGB) Construction Facility Management Officers (CMFO) University. The university provides the only such NGB training in the country and 125 national- and state-level guardsmen from each of the 50 United States and U.S. territories attended the event. Among the attendees was NGB Installations Division Chief COL Kimberly O’Keefe, who expressed the soldiers’ appreciation of such an event.

“This event provided the first ever opportunity for Garver
to establish itself as an available resource for professional A-E design
services to the National Guard in all 50 states and the American territories as
teammates with Burns & McDonnell on the National Guard Bureau IDIQ $45 million
contract,” said Federal Team Director Wallace Smith.

To find out what the Garver Federal Team can do for you, visit the Garver website or contact Wallace at WCSmith@GarverUSA.com.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division recently recognized Terrell Municipal Airport in Terrell, Texas as the 2014 TxDOT General Aviation Airport of the Year.

The award reflects the airport’s importance to the air transportation system and the region it serves, according to the Texas Aviation Conference website.

“It is an honor to be recognized for years of hard work,” Terrell Assistant City Manager Mike Sims told the Terrell Tribune. “Through their grant and regulatory programs, TxDOT has a thorough knowledge of every airport in the state."

“This is a statement of a job well done and it means folks who have never before visited our airport will give us a look,” Sims said. “That's more business and more opportunities to impress.”

Garver is currently working on a 12-bay T-hangar project at Terrell Municipal Airport and will begin a flood plain and drainage study at the airport this summer.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Garver is again involved in Bike to Work Week activities and encouraging commuters to ditch their car keys May 10-16. Our employees are involved in a number of ways this year. At our North Little Rock office, we'll have employees leading multiple rides, providing bicycle maintenance, and providing refreshments and snacks for other bikers who are pedaling through the Northshore Business Park.